Addendum Advanced POS Printer Drivers

Addendum Advanced POS Printer Drivers Overview With the introduction of version 4.0, The General Store now supports the use of advanced, manufacturer s printer drivers for certain point of sale printers. These drivers provide extended support for USB ports, graphics printing, and bar code printing on receipts. NOTE! If you do not need to print graphics or barcodes, and you do not have a USB printer, simply use the non-driver printer options provided in the General Store for printing sales receipts. Star POS Printers Currently, the following Star Printers and drivers are supported. Manufacturer Model Star Micronics TSP600 and TSP 700 Series (Thermal) SP200, SP300, and SP500 Series (Dot Matrix) Table 1 - Supported POS Printers As you can see, these printers are divided into two categories: thermal and dot matrix. Thermal versus Dot Matrix The follow table shows the features supported in The General Store for Star thermal and dot matrix printers. Printer Type Features Supported Thermal Logo printing on receipts using the stored graphic feature (company logo at top of receipt). Bar code printing on receipts (transaction number). Supports USB, parallel, and serial ports. Dot Matrix Supports USB, parallel, and serial ports. Table 2 - Thermal Versus Dot Matrix (Star) 1 of 36

When to Install and Use Star POS Printer Drivers Remember, installing these drivers is only absolutely necessary if you are using a USB interface receipt printer from Star. Otherwise, if you do not need to print barcodes and graphics, you can use the non-driver options in The General Store when setting up receipt printers for each workstation. The table below show illustrates scenarios when you may need to install and use printer drivers from Star. Printer Type Thermal Use Star drivers when you. Want to print a company logo at the top of each receipt Want to print a bar code at the bottom of each receipt that contains the transaction number.. have a USB interface printer Dot Matrix. only if you have a USB interface printer Table 3 - When to use Star Drivers Where Do I Get The Drivers? The drivers are included with The General Store. Instructions for loading them are discussed below. Star Printer Setup Step 1 Install the Star Printer Driver In Windows 98/ME/2000/NT, click Start, Settings Printers. In Windows XP click Start, Printers and Faxes. You will see the screen similar to the one listed below. Page 2 of 36

Double-click the Add Printer icon. You will then see a screen like the one shown below. Click Next Make sure Local Printer is selected. Also, make sure that the Automatically detect and install my Plug and Play printer option is UNCHECKED. Then, click the Next button. Select the appropriate port from the drop down window and click Next. Page 3 of 36

Now you will be asked for the printer you wish to add. You must first click the Have Disk button. Now you must click the Browse button to locate the proper driver file for your printer. Use the provided navigation tools to locate the following folder: C:\Program Files\GenStor4\TgsDrvrs\Star. You will then see directories for different operating systems. Click the directory that matches your operating system to open it. Now, click the directory that corresponds to the driver you wish to use. Your options are listed below. Page 4 of 36

Lastly, click the oemprint.inf file and then click the Ok button. In our example, we selected the driver file in the c:\tgswin\tgsdrvrs\star\2kxp\starras directory. Now, to install the driver, we simply click the OK button. From the list of available printers, select the printer model you are using and click the Next button. Now you must change the printer name to match available options in the General Store. Your naming options are listed below. Page 5 of 36

Printer Type Star TSP600 or 700 Series Star SP200, 300,500,2000 Series Change Printer Name field to.. Star TSP600 Star SP200 Table 4 - Printer Naming Rules Once you change to printer name, click the Next button. Select No to printing a test page and click the Next button. Click the Finish button to proceed with the driver installation. Page 6 of 36

If you see the picture above, click the Continue Anyway button to finish the installation. It may take a minute before you see the progress indicator below, so do not click the Finish button again. Once the driver installation completes, you will be returned to the Windows desktop. Access the Windows print manager and you will see your new Star printer in the list of available printers. That is it for this step! Step 2 Optional Install the Star Logo Printer NOTE! This option is for thermal printers only. If you have a dot matrix printer, or you do not wish to print a company logo on your paper tape receipts, skip this step, and move on to step 3: Setting Up The Printer In The General Store. Star provides a separate driver that allows you to store bitmap graphics in the printer s NVRAM. You must install this printer just as you would any other printer. Page 7 of 36

Installing the Driver In Windows 98/ME/2000/NT, click Start, Settings Printers. In Windows XP click Start, Printers and Faxes. You will see the screen similar to the one listed below. Double-click the Add Printer icon. You will then see a screen like the one shown below. Click Next Make sure Local Printer is selected and click Next. Page 8 of 36

Select the appropriate port from the drop down window and click Next. Now you will be asked for the printer you wish to add. You must first click the Have Disk button. Now you must click the Browse button to locate the proper driver file for your printer. Page 9 of 36

Here, you can see that we navigated to the C:\Program Files\GenStor4\TgsDrvrs\Star\2k-xp\StarLogo\Install directory. Had we been installing the driver on a Windows 95, 98 or ME machine, we would have selected the 95-98-ME subdirectory as opposed to 2k-xp. Click the file LSPD.INF and click the Open button. Page 10 of 36

Click the Next button to install the driver. Finally, click the Finish button to complete the installation. Copying Bitmap Logo Images to the Printer Now that the driver is installed, you must upload logo files to the printer s NVRam. Step 1 Create You Logo Document You must first store your logos in either a Word document or Excel spreadsheet. The illustration below shows the location of a sample word document, preformatted for this purpose. Page 11 of 36

Both the 72mm_LogoStoreSample.doc and the cdslogosample.doc files can be edited to contain your logos. Once completed, you can print these logos to your Star printer using the StarLogoPrinter driver. In the above illustration, you can see the sample document provided by Star, containing 4 pages. Each page can contain one logo. To insert your logo(s) in this document, simply delete the text that already exists in the document, and replace it with your logo(s). An example is shown below. Page 12 of 36

Save the logo file by clicking file, then save. Step 2 Store Your Logos in The Printer s Rom Memory Now that you have created the logo file, you must store in the printer s memory. Simply printing the logo document to the printer does this. But you must first set your page setup to 72mm by 254mm. Click File, Page Setup, Paper Size. From the drop down menu, select Custom, 72mm x 254mm. Then click OK. Now, click File, Print. Then select the Star printer and click OK. There will be a pause as the logos are being store in the printer s ROM. They will then print. Page 13 of 36

If You Get A Margin Error If you get the following error..cancel the print job and go back into the page setup. Set the paper size to 72mm by 254mm and click OK. Turn your printer off, and then turn it back on. Then re-print the logo document. Step 3 Set up the Printer in The General Store From the General Store main menu, click Controls, Station Controls. Then select your receipt printer model, and set its port to the Driver option as shown below. Page 14 of 36

Setting Advanced Paper Tape Options Next click the Advanced Paper Tape Commands tab shown below. You may be confused as to why you see the hexadecimal value 30 in this field. This represents a binary 0 and is normal. However, for Star printers, edit this tab so that it looks like the example shown on the following page. Page 15 of 36

The fields that must be filled in with valid data are: Initialize 1B70000000000000 Paper Cutter Set this field to 1B64310000 only if your printer has a built in paper cutter. Otherwise, set this field to zeros. Print Logo Even if you do not have a logo stored in your printer, fill in the field as shown above 1B1C700130000000. Barcode Fields Barcode Start fill this field with zeros. Barcode Print 1B62040201400000 Barcode End 1E00000000 Fill in the rest of the fields with zeros. To save your entries, click the save (diskette) icon on the navigational toolbar. A Note On The Print Logo Field Notice in the illustration above that the 001 in the logo field is underlined. These digits represent the logo number that is stored in the printer. Remember that you can store multiple logos in the printer's memory. 001 represents the first logo stored in the printers memory. 002 represents the second, 003 represents the third, etc. If you have multiple logos stored in the printer s memory, fill in this portion of the Print Logo field with the appropriate 3-digit number. Page 16 of 36

Step 4 Set Receipt Printing at End Of Sale The last step in your setup is to set the system to print the receipt at the end of the sale. 1. From the General Store main menu, click Controls, Store Controls Maintenance. 2. Click the POS Controls Tab 3. Click the option Print paper tape receipt at end of sale so that there is a check mark in it. 4. Click the save icon on the navigational tool bar at the top of the window to save your changes. That s it! You are now ready to print logos on your receipt printer, as well as a barcode for the ticket number! Page 17 of 36

Page 18 of 36

Epson POS Printers Currently, the following Star Printers and drivers are supported. Manufacturer Epson Model Thermal Printers - TM-T88 DOT Matrix Printers - TM270, TM300, TM300II Table 5 - Supported POS Printers As you can see, these printers are divided into two categories: thermal and dot matrix. Thermal versus Dot Matrix The follow table shows the features supported in The General Store for Star thermal and dot matrix printers. Printer Type Thermal Features Supported Logo printing on receipts using the stored graphic feature (company logo at top of receipt). Bar code printing on receipts (transaction number). Supports USB, parallel, and serial ports. Dot Matrix Supports USB, parallel, and serial ports. Table 6 - Thermal Versus Dot Matrix (Star) When to Install and Use Epson Drivers Remember, installing these drivers is only absolutely necessary if you are using a USB interface receipt printer from Epson. Otherwise, if you do not need to print barcodes and graphics, you can skip installing Epson printer drivers, and you can use the non-driver options in The General Store when setting up receipt printers for each workstation. Page 19 of 36

The table below show illustrates scenarios when you may need to install and use printer drivers from Epson. Printer Type Thermal Use Star drivers when you. want to print a company logo at the top of each receipt want to print a bar code at the bottom of each receipt that contains the transaction number..have a USB interface printer Dot Matrix.only if you have a USB interface printer Table 7 - When to use Epson Drivers. Where Do I Get The Drivers? The drivers are included with The General Store. Instructions for loading them are discussed below. Epson Printer Setup Step 1 Install And Run Epson TM Logo Utility If you plan to print logos on your thermal Epson TM-T88 printer, you must first install and run the Epson TM Flash logo setup utility. Step 1A- Installing The Utility Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the C:\Program Files\GenStor4\TgsDrvrs\Epson\TMT88III directory as shown below. Double click the TMFlashLOGO230aE.exe program listed. This will commence the installation process as shown below. Page 20 of 36

Click Yes here to proceed with the installation. Click I Agree to proceed to the next step. Accept the default install directory by clicking the Continue button. You will probably see the following message. Go ahead and click Yes here to create the directory. The files will then be installed to your pc, and the utility will automatically launch as shown on the following page. Page 21 of 36

Step 1B Running the Utility Test Communications First, make sure that POSPrinter and your model are selected as outlined in red above. Then click the Comm Test button. You should see the following message. If you do, then the interface is correct and you can load you company logo into the printer s NV ram. If you get a communications error, make sure you have no printers in your Windows print manager that are using the same port. If you do have a printer using he same port as the Epson, change the printer s port properties to Print To File, or delete the printer altogether. Page 22 of 36

Special Note On Serial Printers Consult your printer manual for dipswitch settings for : Handshaking Set to XON/XOFF On TM-T88 Set Bank 1 Dip Switch 3 to the On position Transmission Speed Set to 9600 baud On TM-T88 Set Bank 1 Dip Switch 7 to the On position Word Length Set to 8 bits On TM-T88 Set Bank 1 Dip Switch 4 to the Off position Parity Check Set to No On TM-T88 Set Bank 1 Dip Switch 5 to the Off position Handshaking (Busy) Set to Receive buffer full On TM-T88 Set Bank 2 Dip Switch 1 to the On position If you need to change dipswitch settings, turn your printer off before doing so. Once the dipswitches are set properly, turn the printer back on. Also, access the device manager in Windows as shown in the diagram below. 3 4 2 5 6 7 Page 23 of 36

1. Click Start, Settings, Control Panel 2. Double Click System 3. Click the Hardware tab 4. Click the Device Manager button 5. Double click Port Configuration 6. Select the serial port your printer is connected to 7. Set Flow Control to Hardware and click Ok. Now go back and try the communications test Load Company Logo From the logo utility main screen, click the Bitmap Selection tab. Then click Open File and browse to the bitmap file you wish to apply. Page 24 of 36

You can preview the logo by clicking the Preview tab, and then clicking the image. If the image is to small, selecting one of the enlargement options as shown below. Page 25 of 36

Now, click the Logo Upload tab and click the Device button. Page 26 of 36

Click Yes and the graphic you selected will be downloaded to the printer s NV ram. Click Ok when the download is completed. If you like, you can print a sample by clicking the Logo Printout tab, and then selecting Print. Don t worry if it comes out too small. When the General store is configured to print the logo on receipts, it can be done in a way that enlarges the logo. Page 27 of 36

Step 2 Install the Epson Printer Driver Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the C:\Program Files\GenStor4\TgsDrvrs\Epson\TMT88III directory as shown below. Double click the ATM_301dE.exe program listed. This will commence the installation process as shown below. Click I agree. And then click Next. Page 28 of 36

Select the default installation directory by clicking the Next button. The installation of the printer driver program will commence as shown below. When the installation is completed, you will automatically see the next screen. Select the default operating system and language selections by clicking the Next button. In this example, we are installing the TM-T88 driver on a Windows XP machine. You will then see the following printer driver selection screen. Page 29 of 36

Select only the printer model you are installing. Now click the Printer Port Setting, etc. button. Page 30 of 36

Select the port you are attaching the printer to. Make any appropriate settings, and click the Finish button. In the example below, we are installing a serial printer. Notice how we set the baud rate, parity, data bits, stop bits and flow control. Note! These settings must match the physical settings of the printer, as determined by the printer s dipswitch settings. Refer to the printer installation manual for instructions on dipswitch settings. Again, we must click the Ok button to save these settings. Then click the Finish button on the previous screen. The installation of the printer driver will then begin. Page 31 of 36

When the installation is complete, you will be required to restart the computer. Click Yes to complete the driver installation. Step 3 Rename Printer Name In Print Manager You must rename the printer in Windows Print manager to match that of the available printer names in the General Store. Printer Type Epson TM-T88 Epson TM-270, TM-300, TM-300II Change Printer Name field to.. Epson TM88 Epson TM270, Epson TM300, Epson TM300II Table 8 - Valid Epson Printer Names To change the printer name, click Start, Settings, Printers And Faxes. Select the Epson printer you wish to rename. In this example we are renaming the Epson TM-T88 Right click the printer and then left click Rename Rename the printer and press the Enter key. Page 32 of 36

That s it. Step 4 Set up the Printer in The General Store From the General Store main menu, click Controls, Station Controls. Then select your receipt printer model, and set its port to the Driver option as shown below. Page 33 of 36

Setting Advanced Paper Tape Options Next click the Advanced Paper Tape Commands tab shown below. You may be confused as to why you see the hexadecimal value 30 in this field. This represents a binary 0 and is normal. However, for Epson TM88 printers, edit this tab so that it looks like the example shown on the following page. Bitmap Size Setting Page 34 of 36

For the Epson TM88, the fields that must be filled in with valid data are: Initialize 1B40000000000000 Paper Cutter Set this field to 1B56000000 only if your printer has a built in paper cutter. Otherwise, set this field to zeros. Print Logo Even if you do not have a logo stored in your printer, fill in the field as shown above 1C7001330000000. As shown in the figure above, the 01 underlined represents the logo number stored in your printer (logo #1, logo #2, etc.). If you have multiple images downloaded to your printer s NV ram, replace the 01 with the appropriate bitmap number, such as 02, 03, etc. Also, you can see that the 33 in this string is highlighted. This number represents the size option. 33 represents double height, double width. 30 represents the bitmap s original size. 31 represents double height. 32 represents double width. Enter the appropriate number here for the bitmap logo you are using. Barcode Fields Barcode Start 1D68321D6B4506 Barcode Print 1D68321D6B4506 Barcode End 0000000000 Fill in the rest of the fields with zeros. To save your entries, click the save (diskette) icon on the navigational toolbar. That s it! You are now ready to print logos on your receipt printer, as well as a barcode for the ticket number! Page 35 of 36

Step 5 Set Receipt Printing at End Of Sale The last step in your setup is to set the system to print the receipt at the end of the sale. 1. From the General Store main menu, click Controls, Store Controls Maintenance. 2. Click the POS Controls Tab 3. Click the option Print paper tape receipt at end of sale so that there is a check mark in it. 4. Click the save icon on the navigational tool bar at the top of the window to save your changes. That s it! You are now ready to print logos on your receipt printer, as well as a barcode for the ticket number! Page 36 of 36